Duet sarod recital enthralls Dhaka audience

Ustad Aashish Khan plays sarod at National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Friday. — New Age photo

Sarod artistes Ustad Aashish Khan and Siraj Ali Khan enthralled Dhaka audience with duet sarod recitals at a show held at National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Friday.The maestros, who are practitioners of Senia Maihar Gharana, founded by Ustad Allauddin Khan, presented diverse nighttime ragas like raga hem bihag and raga jhinjhoti to the delight of the hall-full audience.Ustad Aashish Khan studied Senia Maihar Gharana under the tutelage of his grandfather Ustad Allauddin Khan and father Ali Akbar Khan. Siraj Ali Khan, a great grandson of Ustad Allauddin Khan, trained under his uncle Ustad Aashish Khan. The recital was organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Director general of the academy Liaquat Ali Lucky presented flower bouquets to the artistes.‘We are fortunate to have among us the grandson and great grandson of Ustad Allauddin Khan, who was born in Brahmanbaria. We are also happy to inform all that we are going to build Allauddin Khan Complex where young students would be able to study classical music. We hope Ustad Aashish Khan would teach there,’ said Liaquat Ali Lucky.Thanking all, Ustad Aashish Khan promised to come and teach at Allauddin Khan Complex. ‘I am happy to know that a complex named after my Dadu would be established. I will do whatever I can to support the complex,’ said Ustad Aashish Khan.Following the short speeches, Ustad Aashish Khan paid tribute to his grandfather by playing raga hem bihag, composed by Ustad Allauddin Khan. Raga hem bihag, based on raga bihag, is a deep, melodic and meditative nighttime raga. Siraj Ali Khan and Biplob Bhattacharjee accompanied Ustad Aashish Khan respectively on sarod and tabla. After raga bihag, Ustad Aashish Khan and Siraj Ali Khan rendered raga jhinjhoti, a light and playful nighttime raga.The show ended with a recital of the sober and pleasant raga bhairavi, a morning raga but often presented as a concluding piece.